


even as time stands still

by wrnkledtime



Series: to the end of the world [10]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, have some fluff, ish, ouat 5x17, ouat spec fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 20:58:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6487162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrnkledtime/pseuds/wrnkledtime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>she knows that he'll always be there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	even as time stands still

Emma jolts awake with her heart ready to beat out of her chest. She gasps, steadying her breathing by inhaling deeply, pacing herself by counting backwards from ten. Her eyes frantically look around as they sting from the lack of sleep and unshed tears, and she relaxes, only slightly, as she finds herself still on the rooftop.

“Bad dream?” Killian’s voice asks, his voice low and soft in the quiet of the night. Emma turns, finding his expectant and worried gaze on her as he angles her body to her. He’s standing by the ledge, and she knows that he must’ve been looking out into the night sky, squinting up at the expanse of darkness that’s void of twinkling stars and thick clouds.

“It’s nothing,” Emma reassures, breathing out a sigh as she relaxes back into her body. The air is cold and rushes against her face violently as she uses a hand to help herself up, her boots scrunching against the gravel beneath her feet loudly. “Sorry I fell asleep,” she says quickly as she rushes over to him. Her eyebrows are furrow slightly with worry as she chastises herself, and her heart sits heavy in her chest.

“Well I’m glad you did,” Killian says firmly, studying her with an expression that’s so earnest and open that it almost makes her heart melt. Almost. But the nightmare that she had troubles her, and her thoughts are plagued with darkness and silent last breaths and derisive memories that taunt her over and over and over again. She shakes her head, resisting the urge to reach out and scratch her fingers through his stubble, because then he’ll definitely know that something’s wrong.

Killian surveys her slowly, thoroughly, and before he can ask her what’s wrong, before he can convince her to spill her secrets with fervent eyes and fleeting touches, she opens her mouth to distract him.

“It’s not the best way to keep watch.”

“I’ve got it under control,” Killian assures, sounding exasperated. “Do you realize that this is the first time you’ve slept since you rescued me?”

Emma avoids the stuttering pounding of her heart beat - she ignores the fear and impatience that licks up her body, the haunting prospect of her and her entire family not making it out of this trap alive - as images of her repetitive nightmare flash before her eyes. Emma schools her features, silently reassuring him with nothing but a blink and a neutral expression as she doesn’t miss a beat, responding before the silence between them can speak for her.

“I’ll sleep for weeks as soon as we defeat Hades, I promise.”

She inhales a sharp breath, holding it still in her chest as his eyes search her face. She can tell that he doesn’t believe her, that his worry for her is more than he cares to admit, and that he’d do anything at that moment to guarantee that they were safe and that she could trust him. She knows all of this and more - she’s gotten better at reading him and communicating with him without words over the course of their relationship - and she slides her steady gaze away from him as a blinking light from somewhere down below catches her eye.

“That’s the signal,” she exhales as she quickly turns back to face him. “They’re ready.” She turns on her heel and makes her way down the creaky stairs that lead up to the rooftop, and she tries to not dwell on Killian’s hesitancy, his jaw ticking as if he wanted to say something, before he follows closely behind her.

“Emma,” he stops her, catching her wrist before they can join the rest in the main room. She stills, looking up at him as the weight on her shoulders burdens her down, down, down - she doesn’t want to talk about it, not yet - and he catches her pleading gaze before he sighs. “I know something’s troubling you but I can see that you don’t want to talk about it.” Killian voices comfortingly. He pulls her to him, and she immediately burrows herself in his chest as he wraps an arm around her torso. His lips find the crown of her head and he presses them there, easing her as she relaxes under his warm touch.

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Emma decides as she cups the side of his face with her hand. He presses a kiss to her palm, nodding reluctantly against her skin, and her heart constricts at the sweet smile that he gifts her. He leans forward and steals a kiss, breathing her in and caressing her lips languidly and without a care in the world.

He pulls away first, his eyes twinkling and the corner of his mouth tilted upwards as he bumps their noses together softly. She bites her lip, holding back a smile as she steps away from him and feeling lighter than she’s felt all day.

They finally join the rest of their family, everyone’s minds filled with unanswerable questions and mind-numbing puzzles as they stare down the large set of intricately-decorated doors before them. Her magic combined with Regina’s unlocks the wheels and hinges with an echoing click, and they step into a dark and dreary abyss, resolutely and undauntedly.

A waft of cold air causes Emma to shiver but Killian’s presence behind her is warm, comforting, steady, and reassuring - like an anchor dropped in the midst of choppy waters - and she knows that he’ll always be there, even as time stands still - even at the end of the world.


End file.
